Top playwright Nina Raine and her younger brother writer Moses are descended from Doctor Zhivago author Boris Pasternak – Russian blood has touched on both of their writing careers, notably their Moscow-set collaborative play Donkey Heart.
Now they join forces again for an adaptation of Maxim Gorky’s classic drama Summerfolk, directed by National Theatre deputy Robert Hastie. The play is set in the beautiful summer of 1905, as Russia’s bourgeoisie retreat to the countryside for frivolity and relaxation. But in true Chekhovian style, there are stomclouds on the horizon – if only the characters can recognise them.
